Hearings on 3 dead Tucson arizona kids public?: PHOENIX AZ- Statelawmakers examining the effectiveness of Child Protective Services

Hearings on 3 dead Tucson kids public?
The Associated Press
PHOENIX - State lawmakers examining the effectiveness of Child
Protective Services are pushing for otherwise closed-door hearings on
the agency to be public.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/59315.php

A judge ordered the agency in late July to surrender its files of three
Tucson children from two families who allegedly were killed by their
parents. Newspapers sued to get access to the normally confidential files.


State and federal laws make Child Protective Services case files
confidential to protect the privacy of the child and family, but the
dissemination of the files by the courts may be enough to allow
legislative leaders to open the hearings to the public.


Republican Rep. Kirk Adams of Mesa, chairman of the state House's
government committee, told the Arizona Capitol Times he contacted one of
the Legislature's attorneys about opening the hearings, but no decision
had been made.


Adams said he understands the need for confidentiality laws in most
Child Protective Services cases, but he questioned whether they even
need apply in such specific cases, as the three children who were
subjects of the reports have died.


"Where I question the confidentiality laws is when children are dead and
the parents are in jail," he said. "In these cases, we're not protecting
the confidentiality of children who already died."


If the hearings are opened, the decision would apply just to meetings
pertaining to the case files released in the lawsuit.

Other issues and cases would still need to be discussed in private
hearings because of confidentiality laws, Adams said.

He said he might introduce legislation next session to provide
exceptions in the confidentiality laws because "different cases have
different needs."

Republican Rep. Pete Hershberger of Tucson, who leads the House's human
services committee and deals extensively with Child Protective Services,
believes the public's attention could attract political posturing.

"I just don't want it to become a witch hunt with people seeking media
attention," he said. "I want something meaningful to happen."

Republican Rep. Jonathan Paton of Tucson, who signed an affidavit in
support of the newspapers in the lawsuit, said the sensitive issue of
the hearings - children dying from alleged parental abuse - will create
a media swarm, even if the meetings are closed.

"It'll be a media circus if it's closed because people will want to know
what's going on," he said.




CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.

BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...

fx wrote:
Hearings on 3 dead Tucson kids public?
The Associated Press
PHOENIX - State lawmakers examining the effectiveness of Child
Protective Services are pushing for otherwise closed-door hearings on
the agency to be public.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/59315.php

A judge ordered the agency in late July to surrender its files of three
Tucson children from two families who allegedly were killed by their
parents. Newspapers sued to get access to the normally confidential files.


State and federal laws make Child Protective Services case files
confidential to protect the privacy of the child and family, but the
dissemination of the files by the courts may be enough to allow
legislative leaders to open the hearings to the public.


Republican Rep. Kirk Adams of Mesa, chairman of the state House's
government committee, told the Arizona Capitol Times he contacted one of
the Legislature's attorneys about opening the hearings, but no decision
had been made.


Adams said he understands the need for confidentiality laws in most
Child Protective Services cases, but he questioned whether they even
need apply in such specific cases, as the three children who were
subjects of the reports have died.


"Where I question the confidentiality laws is when children are dead and
the parents are in jail," he said. "In these cases, we're not protecting
the confidentiality of children who already died."


If the hearings are opened, the decision would apply just to meetings
pertaining to the case files released in the lawsuit.

Other issues and cases would still need to be discussed in private
hearings because of confidentiality laws, Adams said.

He said he might introduce legislation next session to provide
exceptions in the confidentiality laws because "different cases have
different needs."

Republican Rep. Pete Hershberger of Tucson, who leads the House's human
services committee and deals extensively with Child Protective Services,
believes the public's attention could attract political posturing.

"I just don't want it to become a witch hunt with people seeking media
attention," he said. "I want something meaningful to happen."

Republican Rep. Jonathan Paton of Tucson, who signed an affidavit in
support of the newspapers in the lawsuit, said the sensitive issue of
the hearings - children dying from alleged parental abuse - will create
a media swarm, even if the meetings are closed.

"It'll be a media circus if it's closed because people will want to know
what's going on," he said.




CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.

BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
yawn